The dilemma which now faces Brendan Rodgers and the transfer committee is not just who to replace Suarez with, but how to replace him altogether.

Over the years, plenty of clubs in world football have lost their star players for eye-watering fees. But how those fees have been used, and the success that followed, vastly differs.

Suarez’s move immediately evokes memories of Gareth Bale’s world-record transfer to Real Madrid last season; it also offers a firm reminder that money doesn't guarantee success after Tottenham’s misguided attempts to replace him with any player available.

Spurs is not an example to follow - but there are many precedents, both good and bad, which may help the Reds decide what to do with the money.

What they did: Although Bale’s move to Madrid was not completed until until the final day of the transfer window, Spurs prepared early and brought in seven new players for over £100m, taking the option of strengthening the entire squad in defence, midfield and attack.

Soldado was the only established star who joined, while Lamela and Eriksen were two of the most wanted midfielders in world football. Paulinho, fresh from a good Confederations Cup with Brazil, was also an exciting acquisition.

How it turned out: Andre Villas-Boas lost his job by December after a 5-0 drubbing to Liverpool at White Hart Lane as the club failed to recover from the loss of the talismanic Welshman. Soldado struggled to score in the Premier League and Lamela spent his season homesick; only Eriksen was an unquestionable success.

With so many new players, team cohesion on the pitch lacked, and the Portuguese boss didn’t get much chance to integrate them; furthermore, with no direct replacement for Bale designed to do what he did, the team lost a lot. Tim Sherwood, who took charge after Villas-Boas’ dismissal, didn’t fare much better.

What this would mean for Liverpool: With Suarez gone and a small squad, the Reds could look to add players all across the pitch. But with the style of football Brendan Rodgers plays, only a certain calibre would bring success - that would come with quality, not quantity.

On the other hand... Roma received 30m euros for central defender Marquinhos, who moved to Paris St-Germain, last summer. With that money, in came some excellent - and relatively low-key - players like Kevin Strootman, Mehdi Benatia, Gervinho, Adem Ljajic and Mattia Destro. Having finished sixth the previous season, Roma ended up second, playing some wonderful attacking football.

What they did: After losing Ronaldo, who scored 66 league goals in the three years before his move, United decided to tweak their system and instead focus on maximising Wayne Rooney’s potential by building the team around him.

While Valencia came for a big fee from Wigan, it represented less than a quarter of what United received for their Portuguese star - and he was a completely different type of wide man than the all-action Ronaldo. Diouf and Obertan were signings with the future in mind, while Owen was an opportunistic purchase. With 24 clean sheets the previous season, the defence remained untouched.

How it turned out: Pretty well for Rooney, not so well for United. The Scouse striker scored 26 league goals - 15 more than the previous season - despite the fact he missed the final two months of the season through injury. It was his best season at Old Trafford at that point as he relished the extra responsibility following Ronaldo’s departure.

But despite that, the triumvirate of Rooney, Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez had been broken up with Tevez also departing United, opting to join rivals Manchester City instead. It meant that a team who came so close to the treble in 2009 finished 2009/10 with just the League Cup, losing the title on goal difference to Chelsea and suffering Champions League elimination at the quarter final stage. The spark of Ronaldo was very much missing.

What this would mean for Liverpool: Step forward Daniel Sturridge. The England striker scored 21 league goals last season playing alongside Suarez, and could improve even further with the focus solely on him. His progression under Rodgers was evident last season, and the Northern Irishman could extract even more potential out of him.

On the other hand... Atletico Madrid received a huge fee for Radamel Falcao from Monaco but spent just a small portion of that on first-team players, David Villa and Toby Alderweireld. They chose to make Diego Costa the focal point of attack instead of playing off the Colombian, and it paid off spectacularly. Costa scored 27 league goals - he bagged 10 the season before - as Atletico won La Liga and reached the Champions League final.

What they did: The departure of Uruguayan hitman Cavani was a big worry for Napoli given he had scored 78 goals in three Serie A seasons, so Rafael Benitez sought to replace him with a like-for-like replacement. In came Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain, another South American relentless in front of goal, and one who broke the 20-goal mark in three of his five seasons at the Bernabeu.

The change of manager saw a slight change of system, but the overall aim remained the same - supply the striker with chances and he will score.

How it turned out: Quite well. There can be a debate whether Cavani or Higuain is the better striker - but Higuain cost less and is a year younger, so it immediately represents decent business on that front. He only scored 17 league goals - less than any of Cavani’s three seasons at San Paolo - but his presence helped Napoli to the Coppa Italia; they also finished third with 78 points, the same points tally as 2012/13, and scored more goals overall.

What this would mean for Liverpool: With Alexis Sanchez keen on Arsenal, there are not many players out there who can come close to ticking every box Suarez did. The Reds will have to find a striker who can play up front, out wide and even as a number 10 - all at once.

On the other hand... Parma sold Hernan Crespo to Lazio for a world-record fee in 2000 after the Argentine scored 80 goals in four seasons. In came Savo Milosevic, who flopped at Aston Villa but rediscovered his form with Real Zaragoza. Unfortunately for Parma, he only scored nine goals in two full seasons before leaving the club.

What they did: Losing wunderkid Gotze could have signalled the end of Jurgen Klopp’s high-intensity, progressive style of football - but the club reacted by strengthening the first 11 in positions that needed it and with players who fit the profile of the club.

Mkhitaryan had enjoyed a superb season in Ukraine, while Aubameyang had become one of Ligue 1’s most exciting attacking talents; Sokratis, meanwhile, brought a physicality to Klopp’s defence. All three were players required to improve the starting line-up and strengthened the overall 11 - in theory.

How it turned out: As well as could be hoped considered they sold Gotze to title rivals Bayern, who also invested in Thiago Alcantara to join the treble-winning side. Gotze’s craft was replaced by Mkhitaryan, who notched 10 assists, while Aubameyang’s directness brought 13 goals from the right-hand side. Sokratis would also oversee a better season defensively.

Dortmund would miss Gotze of course - they only reached the quarter finals of the Champions League instead of the final as they did in 2012/13 - but the gap between themselves and Bayern actually shortened. They were also unfortunate to lose the German cup final to Pep Guardiola’s side.

What this would mean for Liverpool: A full back, a centre back, somebody with the creativity of Suarez and possibly somebody else who can share the 31-goal burden he’s leaving. This, admittedly, looks the likliest choice.

On the other hand... Juventus went one better than Dortmund and improved after selling Zinedine Zidane to Real Madrid for a world-record fee, while also losing Pippo Inzaghi to AC Milan. After finishing second with Zidane and Inzaghi in 2001, the Italian giants would win the league after bringing in Gianluigi Buffon, Lilian Thuram, Pavel Nedved and Marcelo Salas.

Option five: Do (almost) nothing

What they did: When the inevitability of losing their young star to one of La Liga’s big two became reality, Sociedad were preparing for a tilt at the Champions League. Having managed to keep Antoine Griezmann and Carlos Vela, the Basque side decided to not replace the midfield metronome, instead bringing in inexperienced Swiss striker Haris Seferovic.

Canales would join later in January, but it was 21-year-old Ruben Pardo who was given more minutes to fill the gap.

How it turned out: From fourth to seventh, Sociedad saw all their good work from the previous season undone, finishing 11 points behind fourth-placed Athletic Bilbao. They would also finish bottom of their Champions League group with just a point.

What this would mean for Liverpool: Who knows? But would be inconceivable for the Reds to simply let Suarez leave without seeking to add to their attacking options - and it is very, very unlikely to happen, especially with Lazar Markovic set to complete a £25m deal.

On the other hand... It could be far, far worse. In 2001, Fiorentina sold Rui Costa to AC Milan to alleviate their fears over financial ruin - therefore opting to bank the money in an attempt to save the club. After Enrico Chisea ruptured knee ligaments early in the season, the club struggled for goals and finished 17th - before subsequently going under that summer.

Note: There are also clubs who have sold their players and chosen not to reinvest into the squad, instead opting to distribute transfer fees received to other parts of the football club such as stadium running costs. Liverpool will begin work on the £75m project to expand the Main Stand later this year - but Suarez's fee is certain to be used on new recruits.